Alicization: Steel and Lycoris

The Ninth Head of House Orthinanos

A few days later, we traveled to the southern region of the Warmia Greenbelt to a village called Williria. A Clamp and beasts were reported to be in the area, After taking care of it, Eydis, Alice, and I returned to the capital to report in. Once we got back and made our report, Bercouli asked us to judge more of the volunteers of the ACTF. After the last judging I did with Sortiliena (a fun battle that was in the end), I'm eager to test someone else. Being fair to men and women of all kinds, noble and commoner, I ask them to survive at least fifteen seconds with whatever abilities they have, including the Sacred Arts. I handicap myself with no use of sword skills or Sacred Arts, just the basics of swordplay. Some fail, some pass barely for further training, some last much longer than fifteen seconds but not impressive to warrant my attention for my secondary objective. Truth be told, Alice, Eydis, and I will need assistance with the Clamps, and as the leader of that task force, I need someone who can definitely hold their own in a fight.

"You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?" I take the towel from Eydis's hands and wipe my face. "You do realize you are here to judge, not duel, but I guess the difference means nothing to you."

"I am judging. But not just for the ACTF, but for our group as well. The three of us can't handle it all on our own, and while I would like to ask Sortiliena, Ronie, and Tiese, I'm not comfortable with the pages going on such missions yet. Anyway…" I finally get a good look at Eydis and...wow. Her underarmor is a long black dress suited for combat outside the armor, but here she is, wearing it casually. I took off my cape and armor plating to be more comfortable in my tunic… Oh, am I staring? I clear my throat and turn away from her. "Anyway, anyone else?"

She hides her blush behind the paper in her hand. "Y-Yeah. Next is the final applicant. A...student from Swordcraft Academy."

"Is that so? Bring them over, then we're done." Eydis nods and waves the final entrant inside the dueling grounds. I smooth over the sand by my feet, draining my brain of all mental imagery of Eydis before glancing up at the final test-taker. A female figure in a red, back, white, and yellow tunic, red gauntlets, and...great, another redhead. Do I really have luck with girls having red or pink hair? If I do, it's getting quite cruel. "My name is Jaymes, I'll be your examiner. Eydis there will watch as one too. What is your name?"

"Medina. Medina Orthinanos."

Orthinanos? Something in the back of my head tells me I'm familiar with the name, but I can't put it together. "I'm told you're from the Swordcraft Academy. What year?"

"Second year, one of the Disciples."

Is that so? I fold my arms and look off to the side, seeing the bathrobe-wearing Bercouli come beside Eydis. Taking hold of my sword, I feel a rising thrill that I haven't felt in some time, not since I fought Subtilizer in the Battle of Bullets. "In that case, you will pass this test easily. Almost no point to it. But may I ask another question?" Medina frowns but nods her permission. "Kirito and Eugeo, you know them?"

Medina gasps. "Yes, but I heard they were arrested. Do you know anything about them?"

"Mhm. One final question… Why are you here?"

"My goal is the same as always. Restoring the honor of House Orthinanos. That's all. I don't know if the Church will ever accept our defective family… But to restore our name, I need to bring victory to the Axiom Church. I hesitated until the last minute, but in the end, I decided to answer the request."